We understand candidates’ backgrounds and accomplishments, and more importantly, their potential. Let our Atlanta executive search firm help you recruit the leaders you need to thrive in today’s competitive world.

ATLANTA EXECUTIVE SEARCH THAT DRIVES BUSINESS RESULTS

Our experience has been in a variety of industries and functional disciplines. Clients include Fortune 500, mid-cap, start-up and emerging organizations plus privately and family owned businesses. An Atlanta executive search firm, our long-term client relationships have been built on trust, confidence and performance.

A Modern, Measured Approach To Recruiting

Our process incorporates traditional search protocols, focusing on the candidate’s competency – knowledge, skills, experience, track record and personal attributes. However, these measures alone sell the search process short. We believe the candidate’s fit and compatibility with the client’s organization is paramount to a successful search. Using state-of-the-art tools, our search process focuses on how well the candidate’s style, motivations and brainpower fit the client. We combine the entire analysis, resulting in an evaluation of each candidate’s traits, abilities and special talents, enabling our clients to make the best possible hiring decision.

Relationships

Our business is built on relationships. Our clients trust us to understand their organization – its strengths as well as challenges. We work with them as partners as we help them identify, attract and develop their leadership team. More than 90% of our revenues are generated from “repeat” clients or organizations referred by clients.

International Reach

As a member of Cornerstone International Group we have strong relationships with like-minded retained search and coaching organizations in the primary business centers of the world. We can conduct assignments almost anywhere, working with local network members who we know personally.

Recent Articles From Our Blog

Labor Day is more than a holiday here in the U.S. It is the day when people and organizations change. A new sense of urgency arises. Holidays, vacations and travel are set aside for budgets, plans, goals and business activities. It is a dynamic time. Think in terms of the Olympic 1500 meter, not the 10,000 meter, race. There is a bit of time for strategy, but mostly it’s executing. That’s the approach to get the most possible out of this important time of year. Evaluate where you are, considering changes and opportunities that have arisen since your original plan. Then get moving. The best tactic is to determine what steps will have the greatest impact, and quickly implement them. They should be sound, but don’t take excessive time to make them perfect! An organization’s success depends upon the people involved. If the right people are in place in the organization, get them to buy into the vision. If they are in the organization, but not in the right role, rapidly create a structure to take advantage of their skills and abilities. If high-performing people have notable gaps, support them. If people who can contribute are not already part of the organization, identify and attract them. This time of year is just as important to an individual who is in an active job search. Knowing that organizations will “turn on their afterburners,” increasing your efforts to contact people and following up with people you have previously contacted should be fruitful. It’s a great time to be energetic! These steps determine how much momentum you gain during the critical last...

Preparation is arguably the most important aspect of hiring the right person. The time invested in clarifying the role, describing ideal candidates, and establishing the selection criteria ensures emotions are only an appropriate part of the hiring decision, not a significant factor. Advance planning places the focus on what is truly important for success in the role, reducing risk in the selection. This is the time to build a compelling story about the position and the organization, which is imperative to attract outstanding candidates. Here are the steps to make certain your efforts will deliver the anticipated results: Identify what you expect from the role Every role has expectations: the more defined, the easier it is to create the compelling story to attract the candidates you want. Having defined expectations and benchmarks makes early success possible; having a vision for the long-term maintains broad goals, which in turn establishes challenges as well as the ability to celebrate success. Understand what a candidate should have accomplished to be qualified Learning about a candidate’s accomplishments gives insight into how they do things. Successes are a strong predictor of an individual’s ability to contribute in another organization. Initial screening is simpler if there is a broad expectation of what a candidate should have achieved in prior roles to be prepared to be effective in this role. Interviews can then concentrate on how the candidate attained these earlier accomplishments, along with what resources they required. Know the traits/characteristics required to be effective in your organization Every organization is different. How things get done in one organization may not work at all in...

Often we go through our careers focusing on succeeding in what we do. This ability to concentrate is a strength – until it isn’t. What if our focus suddenly isn’t that important in the work world? Careers are changing; they will change even more in the future. How should you handle this? My partner, Jill Macleod, from Toronto wrote a blog that has wonderful insights into differentiating yourself. It is particularly appropriate for those in an active job search. But it has broader implications than that: everyone should be aware of what Jill says as they manage their career. Larry Shoemaker is President of Shoemaker & Associates/Cornerstone Atlanta. He helps organizations identify, recruit, assess and retain talent. He is also President of Cornerstone International Group, a global retained search organization comprised of about 70 independently owned offices located around the globe, with headquarters in Shanghai, China and Atlanta, GA. He holds an International Coach Foundation ACC Credential. ...